Gestalt Therapy was introduced by the couple, Fritz and Laura Perls.



Key Concepts

• Being aware of one's environment
• Discovering and restoring abandoned attributes of oneself
• Becoming and acting as who we are, instead of trying to become an illusion of what we are not
• Guiding clients to grow with self support rather than dependence on the therapist                                                          

Principles                   

• Holism- Clients are viewed as a whole, not in parts . Every aspect of the client is assessed including, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, body, memories, and dreams. 
• Field Theory- Therapists notice the relationship between the present problem with the client and the environment. 
• Figure-formation process- This focuses on how a client's thought in the background becomes the focal point of the client's attention. 
• Organismic self-regulation- This process involves a disruption in the client's equilibrium because of an urgent need, sensation, or interest. 

Phenomenological inquiry is used in Gestalt therapy to help the client become more aware of the present. 

Potential Limitations

• Unfinished business- This can occur when thoughts of a client emerge from the background but are not resolved.

Resistance to Contact

• Introjection: Failure to assimilate other's beliefs and standards with who we are.
• Projection: Denying our own weaknesses and placing them against others.
• Retroflection: A maladaptive style of functioning in which people use themselves as objects of harm instead of pursuing their targets.
• Deflection: Indirect communication "beating around the bush" 
• Confluence: The extent to which we go in order to "blend" and be accepted. A strive for belonging. 

Gestalt Therapy Vital Components

• Increase self-awareness
• Take responsibility of one's experience 
• Develop one's own skills and values
• Increase awareness of surroundings
• Learning to accept consequences of one's actions, accepting responsibility 
• Learn to experience contact with others; the ability to give and receive help from others 

Gestalt therapists use experiments to help clients grow in self-awareness by exploring what fits into one's self identity.

Examples of experiments

• Role playing or acting out a specific situation, encounter, or re-experiencing a painful memory or fear. 
• Practicing confrontation of attitudes, behaviors, and thoughts. 

My View on Gestalt Therapy: I think the approaches used in this therapy are important as far as learning to be honest with oneself about who you are and growing in that self-actualization by balancing out one's desires and fears. Also, this approach would be great for kinesthetic learners because the client gets to act out and face different behaviors with different scenerios.